


Sweeter Than Expected

by Ithinkwehaveanemergency



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ice Cream Parlors, M/M, Meet-Cute, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 14:32:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17869049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithinkwehaveanemergency/pseuds/Ithinkwehaveanemergency
Summary: Theo forgets it's Valentine's Day and walks into an Ice Cream Parlor alone.





	Sweeter Than Expected

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is late, but Happy Vday to my thiam peeps.

Theo pokes at his arm, flexing the muscles in his shoulder.

 

“Blech.”  He gags out exaggerating despite the lack of audience in his truck.  He turns the ignition and the vehicle roars to life.

 

The doctor visit had been short, ideal, and yet all the same… absolutely terrifying.

 

Theo has always been terrified of sharp objects.  He's absolutely convinced that the worst possible thing imaginable is a the slice of a clean cut on his skin.  Strangely enough, scrapes and burns seemed like meaningless touches. But his skin, thick and hardened as it was, being pierced or sliced so easily… Theo paled at the idea.

 

There's never necessarily been a rhyme or reason.  He just cannot handle knives, needles, anything of the sort.

 

When he was younger, he briefly debated studying to be a doctor.  It seemed cool.

 

Then Theo realized he doesn't like sharp objects cutting or pressing into others either.

 

Theo shakes his head as he tries to put the thought of the flu shot he'd just received out of mind.  He was inside the clinic for less than 20 minutes, and still he wants to cry about how horrible it was.  He spares a thought for his dog, Clara, who will have to endure his sour mood tonight, and reasons that if he gives her an extra little treat, she'll listen to him whine about it for a good while without complaint.

 

Theo slowly relaxes the further he gets from the clinic.  He makes a spontaneous turn into the shopping center just before his apartment complex and parks in front of ColdStone Creamery, rationalizing that he held his composure pretty well the whole appointment and has earned some fancy ice cream.

 

The second he walks through the door, he realizes his mistake.

 

There are hearts everywhere.  Lining the counter, taped to the to-go fridge, and hanging from the ceiling.  The pink and red paper decorations range in size from adorable to ostentatious.

 

“Welcome to Coldstone!  Sweets for you sweetheart for here or to go, today?”

 

Theo snaps his head toward the cheerful greeting, unable to hold back the disgusted look on his face as he curls his lip at the server.

 

“Sorry, don't kill me.”  The man holds his palms up in innocence.  His eyes are wide, and his face more entertained than intimidated.  He has dark blonde hair, styled into a small quiff 

  
  
  


“Fuck.”

 

“Yeah… That's not what you usually hear when someone walks in here on Valentine's day.”  The voice snaps Theo out of his red and pink daze.

 

The man behind the counter is smiling brightly, obviously entertained by the blunt greeting he's received by his customer.

 

“Oh.  Man, I'm sorry.  I just… forgot it was Valentine's day, and now I'm the fucking loser buying himself ice cream on Valentine's day because he had a shitty nurse administer his flu shot.”

 

“Wow.”  The man laughs, his face scrunching up in complete confusion.  “That overshare was incredibly honest. You could’ve just like… bought a pint to-go of something Valentine's themed and I would have figured you were bring it home to your girlfriend or a hot tinder date.”

 

“Well, first of all…”  Theo smirks. “If I brought home ice cream to any of the guys I've met on dating apps, they’d probably lecture me on being insensitive to their strict diet and then dump me before the good part for whatever asshole remark I respond with.”

 

“Wow, you are a winner.”  The ice cream server cackles once again, blinking away fake tears in exaggeration.  “Jesus, maybe you do need some ice cream instead of a date if your taste in men is… that.”

 

“Hey.”  Theo sneers.  “Let me be shallow.  I don't judge your taste in- wait, what the fuck, I don't know you!  How did this come up again?”

 

“You're so depressingly single that you forgot it's Valentine's day and showed up at a fancy ice cream store alone.”  The man behind the counter explains it so casual and matter-of-fact that Theo doesn't have time to be insulted before a heaping sample of red velvet cake batter is handed to him across the glass.

 

Theo takes the taster spoon and eats the bite with a frown.  The frown lasts all of a second before he moans indecently around the small piece of smooth plastic, pulling it out of his mouth slowly and looking at it with amazement.  He licks at the spare traces shamelessly before looking back up into the eyes of the cute man on the other side of the glass.

 

“Fuck.”  Theo mumbles around his mouthful of ice cream.

 

“Yeah.”  The server responds, cheeks rosy and eyes glazed over.

 

“I'll uh…”  Theo gently drops his spoon in the tiny trash receptacle on the counter.  He swallows the last of the ice cream and licks his lips, never breaking eye contact with the young man in front of him.  “I'll take a pint of that with some graham cracker mixed in.”

 

“K.”  The employee nods, shaking his head.  “I recommend cream mixed in too. Whipped Cream!  If you like that, I mean!”

 

“I love cream.”  Theo nods back dumbly.”

 

“Yeah.”  The man nods again without moving.  A second later, the bell above the door chimes and a group of teenagers walks in.

 

It makes them both startle and move to finish the transaction.  The line ice cream attendant shouts at the kids that he'll be right with them and starts on the to-go pint for Theo.  Theo takes his wallet out and grabs a $20. A minute later, they're exchanging goods for money and the man pauses to look up at Theo before handing back his change.

 

“I'm Liam.”  The adorable man smiles shyly.  “I hope your Valentine's Day gets better.”

 

He hands Theo the change, which Theo dumps directly into the change jar, not bothering to look how much was left.

 

“Theo.”  He smiles back.  Theo hesitates but the noisy teens in the corner throw him off his game and he simply nods.  “Thanks for the ice cream, Liam.”

 

Theo walks out the door as Liam cheerily greets the teenagers with an impersonal company slogan, havimy to do with the holiday that Theo had forgotten all about.  He spends the drive home humming along to the radio, trying to not dwell on the regret of not asking Liam more about his own lovelife and possibly if he wanted to go out sometime.

 

When Theo walks into his house and greets Clara before setting his pint of ice cream on the counter.  The unusual amount of writing where the flavor would usually go catches his eye. He picks up the container and his face splits into a giant grin as he reads the words on the label.

 

> _ “Using Tinder on Vday is tacky.  I'm off at 9. Text me. -Liam” _

 

Theo puts the 10 digits that follow into a text box immediately, typing out a message and his address with a grin.

 

> _ “My Valentine's day is definitely looking much sweeter since I met you.  See you at 9:30? -Theo” _

 


End file.
